Let It Be Me (Let It Be Me #1) (14 page)

“I’ll stay,” he confirmed.

“Okay,” she said, surprised.

“I will arrange for our rooms,” he said. “I’ll bring a driver with me and we will pick you up Saturday morning, okay?”

“I will pay for the rooms,” Kayla said. “It’s the least I can do for your help.”

“Definitely not,” he said adamantly. “And that’s the last time we’re talking about it.”

Kayla was about to argue some more but she knew it was going to be fruitless. Alex could be quite stubborn. She would just have to think of a way to repay him.

“If you’re going to be this overbearing I may just regret this,” Kayla teased.

“No you won’t,” he assured.

And Kayla believed him.

Chapter 17

“You’ve been seeing a bit of Chad,” Jenny observed while they were having lunch in a Subway branch close to their office.

“Some,” Kayla admitted, shrugging. “We’ve gone out a few times for the past weeks.” After the picnic, they have gone bowling, watched a movie, and had a dinner in a newly-opened Japanese restaurant. Chad was attentive, kind, and patient with her even if she hasn’t really opened up much to him. Kayla appreciated his efforts so she agreed to go out with him those times. It was at the end of their latest date that Chad first kissed her. It was a simple peck on the lips, and Kayla got guilty for thinking about her kiss with Alex in the elevator.

“Aren’t you proud of me?” Kayla asked Jenny.

Jenny looked at her for a moment. “You know what? I’m not sure. You don’t really seem excited about dating him.”

Kayla looked at Jenny in surprise. She was slightly offended by her friend’s comment. “But I like him. He’s nice,” she said, trying to defend herself.

“After seeing him for over a month now, that’s the only way you can describe him?” Jenny asked. “The first few dates are the best. He’s going to romance you with everything he’s got. That’s supposed to be pretty exciting.”

Kayla frowned. She was thinking Jenny was making hasty comments. But deep down, she knew Jenny had a point.

“I’m thirty-two, Jen,” Kayla said. “I might be a bit too old to look for a storybook romance.”

“No one’s ever too old for romance,” Jenny said. “I’m older than you and married and Ryan still does random things that make me fall in love again.”

“It’s different with everyone, okay?” Kayla said. “I don’t need excitement in my life. I actually prefer things steady and stable.”

“You’re not even married yet,” Jenny said. 

It looked like Jenny had other arguments, but Kayla was starting to get peeved. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“I’m sorry if this isn’t what you want to hear,” Jenny said. “But I meant what I said. I’m just looking out for you, okay? But I’ll drop it. For now.”

Kayla was quiet as they finished their lunch. She was pissed and confused.   

Jenny must have sensed her mood because as they walked back to their office, Jenny didn’t bother starting another conversation.

Back in the office, Kayla was still bothered. Jenny has always been telling her to have a life. And now that she’s dating a perfectly nice man, it’s still not good enough for Jenny. Did Jenny expect her to go bungee-jumping or go hiking at Machu Picchu? 

She still felt unsettled when Chad called her that afternoon.

“Hey,” she greeted tiredly. 

“You okay?” he asked. 

“Yeah, just had a long day.” It was almost five. Her day wasn’t really productive. Thinking so much has drained her energy away. 

And Chad had no idea he was part of what has been bothering her all day.

“Sorry to hear that,” he said. “We can go for drinks later. I usually need a drink after a long day.”

Kayla laughed. “Sounds tempting, but this week is pretty busy.” She’s booked appointments for the next few days in time for the wedding. For tonight she had a hair treatment scheduled. Neither Jenny or Chad knew about her cousin’s wedding. She didn’t want to delve into her relationship with Deirdre and Barry. And more, they didn’t know that Alex was going with her. Kayla felt kind of guilty. 

Kayla had deliberated her alternatives. She can tell Alex to forget it and ask Chad to go with her instead, but she and Chad haven’t reached that stage yet. 

She can also just go on her own.

But it was only Alex who really knew her situation. And he has proven that he sincerely wanted to help her out. She actually wanted him to be there with her. She usually got by doing things on her own, but having someone willing to help her seemed to boost her confidence in going.

So she was going to stay with the original plan.

“So how about Saturday?” Chad asked. “Up for a Broadway play?”

“I’m sorry I’m gonna have to take a raincheck,” Kayla said. “I’ll be out this weekend. It’s my cousin’s wedding.”

“Oh, wow,” Chad exclaimed. “Sure, the following weekend then.” He must be wondering Kayla hasn’t told him before then. Or why she didn’t ask him to go with her. 

“Yeah, sounds good,” she said, ignoring the guilt.

“Okay,” he said. “Enjoy the weekend. I’ll call you.”

“Okay, bye.”

She stared at the papers on her desk then at her monitor then back down, but she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. 

She leaned back into her seat until it was tilted. She swiveled the chair until she was facing out her window.

So much was going on in her mind. She wasn’t looking forward to the weekend, but she was glad Alex was going to be there. She also had Chad to think about. And she was worried that Jenny was more right than she cared to admit.

“Kayla?” 

Kayla jolted in surprise and turned her chair to see Jenny standing by her door. Kayla was lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the door swing.

“Yeah?”

“Are we okay?” Jenny asked nervously.

“Of course we are!” Kayla exclaimed. “I’m sorry I lost my cool earlier. There’s just been a lot going on.”

Jenny entered her office, closing the door behind her.

“I was just trying to help, Kayla,” she said.

“I know that,” Kayla assured.

“It’s just hard to reach you sometimes,” Jenny said. “You’re closed off most of the time.”

Kayla exhaled. “I’m sorry about that. It’s the way I deal. But I swear once I’m ready I will tell you everything.”

Jenny nodded, smiling. “I would like that.”

“Thanks, Jen,” Kayla said, relieved she was okay with one with one of her closest friends.

As Jenny left her room, Kayla felt slightly better knowing that she has someone as loyal and patient as Jenny. She just hopes it won’t be too long till she would finally be ready. She didn’t want to jeopardize their friendship.

Chapter 18

  It was the morning of the wedding, and Kayla was all packed up. She’s been ready for hours now as she had a hard time sleeping. She dressed in a sundress and sandals and loosely tied her hair back.

The ceremony wasn’t till three in the afternoon. With the several-hour drive, she and Alex decided that he would pass by for her at eight in the morning. It would give them enough time to have lunch and to prepare for the wedding. 

She really dreaded going to this wedding. She could just imagine people talking about her, and that it could have been her Barry was marrying. But not going would have raised suspicions that she wasn’t over it yet. And she knew her aunt and uncle would want her there. They became her parents when her mom passed away. And she missed the rest of the family.

Kayla had some satisfaction when she called Deirdre a couple of weeks back to tell her that Ben was sending her a stack of non-disclosure agreement forms for all their guests and staff to sign. Deirdre didn’t mind the trouble as she got more excited to know that Alex was actually going to their wedding. Deirdre promised she would have it done.

Alex explained to Kayla that he really didn’t mind for the press to know he was attending a wedding, but he did it more to protect her. 

Kayla appreciated that.

It was almost eight and Kayla was starting to get fidgety with nervousness. It was going to be a long weekend, she just knew it. 

She then heard her doorbell ring. 

She walked over to the door and opened it for Alex, and the sight of him was the assurance she just needed that morning. She suddenly felt better.

“Hey you,” he said in greeting. He was also still dressed casually in jeans and a plain white shirt. He still wore his cap and sunglasses to help disguise himself. 

He walked over to her and surprised her by giving her a hug. Kayla didn’t know if he sensed it, but that was what she needed right then. 

She wrapped her arms around his waist. She wanted to tell him she was glad he was there, but couldn’t get herself to say it.

His embrace was firm and Kayla was aware of his toned body. She already noticed it when they first collided, and when they danced during the fund-raising event. He also smelled good.  

She was the first to break free. “Good morning,” she greeted shyly. 

He smiled down at her. “So where are your bags?”

She only had a small luggage, a garment bag, and her purse. He took them from the couch, and then they walked out to his car – the Lincoln he had them use the night of the fundraiser. 

They were greeted by Roy, who was all decked out in a suit. She wondered if he doubled as Alex’s bodyguard.

“Good morning, Roy,” she greeted.

Roy was slightly taken aback to be acknowledged. He said good morning, too, as he took Kayla’s bags from Alex. Alex opened the door for her. 

“How have you been?” Kayla asked as they’ve all settled in and Roy has started driving. She only got to talk to him a few times the past few weeks, and they were mostly short conversations about this weekend. He was busy filming his last scenes for the suspense thriller. She was also busy with work.

She would also rather talk about anything but the wedding they were about to attend.

“Good kind of busy,” Alex replied. “I’m really excited about this movie. The director’s really good.”

“It’s wonderful you’ve reached the point that you can just choose the quality films,” Kayla observed.

“Yes, it’s every actor’s dream,” Alex admitted. “Ben and I have been filtering the scripts sent to us. Ben and I are also considering putting up a production outfit. We’ve had some screenwriters approaching us with really good material.”

“That’s great! You should do that,” Kayla agreed. She respected Alex’s and Ben’s ambitions.

He nodded. “After this movie I’m doing, Ben and I are gonna go over the plans.”

“That’s pretty exciting,” Kayla said.

“It definitely is,” he said enthusiastically. Kayla noticed he seemed to be in high spirits even if it was early in the morning.

“Well it’s great I’m not doing it on my own.”

Kayla nodded. “So what’s Ben’s story?” Kayla asked, wondering. “I’ve heard about yours from what you told me and from your fundraiser speech – and I really admire how you’ve gone through all that as decent a person as you could be.”

“I’ve had my lapses,” Alex reminded, good-naturedly.

Kayla shrugged, smiling. “But at the end, you knew it was wrong, and you righted yourself.”

“Didn’t do it by myself,” he humbly said.

“So about Ben. How does he come in? Why does he share your vision?”

“Ben told you he was also a scholar like me right?” Alex asked.

Kayla nodded.

“He was my classmate, and he and his brother frequented the soup kitchen where my family volunteered,” he said. “His parents passed away in an accident when we were in high school. His dad was too stoned to drive properly.”

Kayla sucked in her breathe. It was shocking to know that Ben and his brother had to go through that. 

“His brother was already twenty-two then so he managed to get guardianship over Ben,” Alex explained. “I told them about the soup kitchen and it helped them with their meals. Sometimes they would also have dinner at our house. Ben and Charlie were like my brothers. But Ben and I, we were alike in some ways. We were kind of ambitious. We started dreaming.”

“And you both made those dreams come true,” Kayla said in admiration. 

“It was a tough road, but we’ve been blessed along the way,” Alex said modestly. “Could say the same about you.” 

“I may be a bit more selfish than you,” Kayla said. 

“But you have a generous heart,” Alex said.

“Thank you,” she said, touched with his words, but still felt a bit undeserving compared to Alex’s and Ben’s accomplishments and passion. 

“So is Ben seeing anyone?” she asked curiously. “I haven’t seen him with any date for the past events.”

Alex studied her. “Are you interested in him?”

“No!” Kayla exclaimed, laughing. “I was just curious. He’s pretty nice. And he’s cute. It shouldn’t be hard for him to find a decent girl.”

Alex looked at her for a bit longer, probably to sense if she really didn’t have a crush on Ben. It took him a while to respond. “Ben is still hung up on a girl from his past. Even if it’s been years now. Anyways it’s his story to tell. Maybe you can ask him. It’s partially my fault. I got him into this industry. It’s hard to find genuine people in this business. He hasn’t met anyone new yet.”

“Poor Ben,” Kayla said.

“Don’t worry about him. He’s a big boy,” Alex joked.

Kayla laughed.

They then turned quiet. Kayla looked out to see they were at the Long Island Expressway. She then felt her eyes grow heavy. She was reminded about her almost sleepless night. 

She didn’t realize how knocked out she was until she felt Alex nudging her later.

“We’re almost here,” he said softly.

It took a moment for Kayla to remember where she was. Alex had his arm draped around her shoulders and her head was nestled against his shoulder. She didn’t know how that happened, but she felt so comfortable.  

She sat up to look out. They were already in Southampton, if she was right. Checking her watch, she realized that she napped for over an hour.

“I’m so sorry, you must have been so bored,” Kayla said apologetically. 

“Not at all,” he assured, then couldn’t resist adding a teasing remark, “Will just stretch a bit later on.”